Hurricane Sandy forces Daily Show to cancel

Earlier today Comedy Central tweeted the news: “Monday night’s #DailyShow (our Tuesday show) has been cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy coming through New York City…”

“…new episodes are planned to continue the following day. We’ll be running repeats in the interim. #DailyShow“

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is a late night American satirical comedy show usually aired Monday through till Thursday on Comedy Central.

Tonight’s recording, scheduled to be aired tomorrow, was set to feature American television journalist Bob Woodruff as Stewart’s guest.

Woodruff, most commonly recognised as ABC News’ “World News Tonight” anchor, was injured in December 2005 by a roadside bomb which struck his vehicle in Iraq.

Woodruff returned to the air in February 2007, thirteen months after being wounded in Iraq, and has resumed reporting for ABC News.

The Daily Show is fondly described by its makers as a fake news show but still remains a popular news source for millions of Americans.

In research by the Pew Research Centre for excellence in 2008, when Americans were asked to name the journalist they most admired, showing up at No. 4 on the list was a comedian Jon Stewart.

According to the Pew Research Centre, the show, which launched in 1996, has an average audience of approximately 1.8million. Compared to Fox news primetime show “Hannity & Colmes” at 1.9 million, and CNN’s highest rated show, “Election Center,” 1.2 million viewers, this is a significant number for a show whose host insists is not journalistic.

The cancellation of tonight’s Daily Show will mean millions of people will be without Comedy Central’s longest running program, winner of 18 Primetime Emmy Awards.